Newsletter

Local college roundup: Armstrong baseball team conquers Concord

The No. 29-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State University baseball squad completed a series sweep of visiting Concord University on Sunday with a 6-5 win over the Mountain Lions at Pirate Field.

Armstrong improved to 6-0 with the win and also improved to 17-0 all-time against the Mountain Lions, who fell to 0-3 after its season-opening series.

The Pirates plated five runs in the second inning on an RBI double by Chris Zittrouer, a two-run double by Cody Sherlin and a two-run double by Chase Butler.

Concord whittled away at the lead with two runs in the fourth inning, on a two-run home run by Joey Miller, and single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Costa and a fielder’s choice RBI by Ryan Johnston.

The Pirates got two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a fielder’s choice RBI by Casey Maloney and an RBI double by Butler, then tacked on a run in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI groundout by Chris Fritts.

SOFTBALL

GSU 1, TENN. TECH 0

STATESBORO — Georgia Southern needed just one run to best Tennessee Tech in the final game of the 2013 Eagle Round Robin Tournament. A home run by Kourtny Thomas in the fourth inning proved to be the difference as Sarah Purvis fanned 11 and allowed three hits in her third win of the year. The Eagles are now 3-1 on the season while Tennessee Tech falls to 2-2.

SSU splits 2

Savannah State won one and lost one Sunday, topping Thomas University 10-5 before falling to USC Beaufort 10-4.

Against Thomas (1-1), Michaela Patton and Torrian Wright homered and drove in three runs as the Tigers (3-1) had 12 hits. Winning pitcher Madison Hedderly homered, drove in four runs and improved to 2-0.

No. 20 Armstrong completed a second straight perfect weekend of tournament action by notching a 3-2 win over Tusculum and a 10-0 win over Lees-McRae at the Hampton Inn North Pirate Invitational at the Armstrong Softball Field.

The Pirates improved to 8-0 on the season with the two wins.

Armstrong downed the Pioneers in a close affair in the day’s first game. Sophomore Alexis Mercer’s first-inning homer put the Pirates up, 1-0, then Mercer added an RBI double in the third inning and Andrea Dalton collected an infield RBI single to make the score 3-0 after three innings.

Tusculum (2-3) closed to within one run in the sixth inning on a two-run homer by Katie Brennan, but Armstrong starting pitcher Megan Barnwell (6-0) struck out four of the next six batters to close out the win.

In the second game, the Pirates scored eight first-inning runs — all with two outs — to sail past the Bobcats in five innings. Back-to-back RBI doubles by Hannah Reppert and Brittany Cooley scored the first two runs, then Haley Ellis and Heather Ellis each notched RBI singles. Shelby Duff then provided the big blow with a grand slam homer to cap the big inning.

Armstrong tacked on another two runs in the fifth inning on a two-run double by Cooley.

The Pirates improved to 2-0 while handing the Lions (3-1) their first loss.

WOMEN’S GOLF

Armstrong is 3rd

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The Armstrong women’s team fired a first-round 310 to sit tied for third place at the World Golf Village Invitational, hosted by Flagler College at the Slammer and Squire Course.

The Pirates are 14 strokes behind first-round leader Seminole State College (296), with host Flagler (304) in second place. The 12th-ranked University of South Carolina Beaufort women are seventh (321).